A creed is a declaration of faith that condenses the core principles of a particular religion, gives it authoritative backing, and is meant to be used universally in religious rituals. The Apostles’ Creed is not a thorough declaration of individual and personal belief; rather, it is a synthesis of what the Church teaches and of what Christians as a whole believe. Christians of all traditions and customs are united as a believing community by reciting the Creed (Clark, 2019). We proclaim our shared faith alongside Christians from around the world and from the past as we recite the Creed. The Creed appears as a unit of several statements of belief that make up the block. Analyzing and explaining each component of the Creed is therefore possible.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the architect of the universe. I trust in Jesus as God’s only Son and our Lord, Whom the Holy Spirit conceived, a virgin birth, a victim of Pontius Pilate, was killed, crucified, and buried; He went down among the dead. He rose once more on the third day and went to heaven. He is seated at the Father’s right hand (Petkovic, 2021). As well as the dead when he arrives at the judgment. The sanctified Catholic Church, the saints’ communion, the pardoning of sins, the physical Resurrection, and eternal life. Amen.
I Have Faith in a Supreme Being
This defines the starting point of the whole concept and formation of theology. Two possible perceptions or views are that either God exists or the opposite. It is abundantly obvious from a study of human history that religion permeates all of humanity (Allison & Religion, 2019). At their core, most individuals hold some belief in the existence of a divine reality known as God or gods (Cou MacArthur, 2019). Even today, despite the digital age, the Creed still holds a position or has an impact on the life I lead. I strongly live by the word that Jesus is Lord and on the basis that by so believing, I am saved. Peter writes in Romans 10:9 that you will be saved by strongly uttering with your mouth and affirming by the heart that Jesus is Lord.
Anselm, the archbishop, brings forward an idea. It claims that humans “have a conception of God as a being, than which nothing higher can be conceived” in some way or another. Anselm essentially claimed that there must be a reality behind this human notion if you and I can conceive something bigger than what we are capable of (Petkovic, 2021). Considering the possibility of a cosmic entity with a mind infinitely superior to mine is crucial. The French philosopher Voltaire argues that it makes no sense to think that this complex world, which operates in such good ways, could have developed by accident. A designer must be responsible for a design this intricate. (Gamwell, 2020).
In Ephesians 4:11–13, it is stated that the gifts of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor (or Shepherd), and Teacher are imparted by Christ to “his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be perfected until we all attain unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the full measure of Christ.”. Leadership’s responsibility is to spread the gospel and the glory of Christ across the world. There was never any question that Christ was the Head of the Church and that the people who served under him were equals who shared the same spirit’s power.
A Victim of Pontius Pilate was Killed, Crucified, and Buried
While the entirety of Jesus’ life must be remembered, the cross is the pinnacle of pain and was built to cause as much physical and spiritual anguish as possible before death. As the Heidelberg Catechism reads, “By this, I am convinced that he shouldered the curse which laid on me since death by crucifixion was cursed by God,” Jesus’ manner of death was significant. This is the symbol of our faith because it represents what Jesus went through and how he suffered (Gamwell, 2020). Our emblem is not a throne or a place of authority but a tool of death and humiliation that reminds us that Jesus took the penalty we deserve and that the world will mistake for stupidity and fall for it (1 Corinthians 1:18-23).
That by the power of Christ, “Our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with him, so that the sinful impulses of the flesh may no longer govern us, but that instead, we may offer ourselves as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to him (Petkovic, 2021). In order to serve others with humility, to edify, and assist those whom God already loves, leadership means being “put apart for the gospel of God” (Rom 1:1). This is “acted out” via understanding God’s Word, following Son’s lead, and yielding to the Holy Spirit.
He Rose Once More on the Third Day.
Christ’s historic reunification of His physical body and spirit after they were split apart by His death on the cross is known as the Resurrection. Christ was truly human, just like us, but without sin. He didn’t need to die because he was sinless (Revington, 2018). He decided on death. But with the same free will that allowed Him to choose death, He also chose to defeat it and come back to life as a human.
On Easter Sunday, the same Jesus Christ rose from the dead (Ward, 2019). The Divine Person and His human characters were the same. The encounter between the Lord and the eleven disciples in Jerusalem’s upper room on Easter Sunday is described by St. Luke. (Lott, 2020). The two disciples who had just been to Emmaus with Jesus were speaking to them while they listened: As they were discussing these issues, Jesus interrupted them by saying, “Peace to you! Do not be afraid; it is I. However, they were frightened and terrified and believed they had seen a ghost (Petkovic, 2021). “Why are you concerned, and why do doubts come into your hearts,” He asked them (Ward, 2019). Verify that I am myself by looking at my hands and feet. A spirit does not have flesh and bones, so feel me and see. After saying this, He revealed His hands and feet to the crowd.
The rising of Jesus from death assures me that Christ was back and that I continue leading a life of serving him. For Christ to rise on the third day showed that something important was going to happen in the Christian tradition, and it did happen. The apostles did not doubt that Christ had physically arisen from the grave (Toom, 2022). Peter informed the Jews that the crucified Jesus had been raised to life on Pentecost Sunday.
And he relied on this historical fact to support the legitimacy of the Christian faith. The climactic miracle of Christ’s temporal presence on earth was His Resurrection from the grave (Gamwell, 2020). During His three years of public ministry, He performed numerous miracles: the dead were raised from the tomb; the sea storm was calmed with a single command; the blind were given their sight back; the deaf-mutes were able to hear and speak, and the paralyzed began to use their limbs(Hopkins, 2019). He also summoned Lazarus from the grave before He suffered on the cross.
We are aware that eternity serves as the backdrop for our leadership. Of course, what we do now matters, but what we do now matters forever because we serve an eternal God and shepherd those people he created with an eternal purpose. We are only entrusted with everything; we are not its lords. God’s omnipotence places us in our proper place at God’s service through leadership.
“When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to travel to Jerusalem,” St. Luke writes of the moment Jesus made his final journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). Jesus realized that the route that would take him to the glory of the Father passed through the cross, through obedience to the divine plan of love for humanity, even as he was “moving up” to the Holy City, where his own “exodus” from this world was to take place (Lee, 2022).
Jesus’ lifting on the cross “signifies and heralds his rising by his Ascension into heaven,” according to the Catholic Church’s Catechism (Gunnarson, 2022). In our Christian walk, we, too, should be clear that following God’s will daily takes fidelity, even when it means making sacrifices and altering our plans. Jesus’ ascension took place on the Mount of Olives, not far from where he had retired, to pray before the Crucifixion to maintain a close bond with the Father (Petkovic, 2021). This is another example of how prayer bestows us the grace to carry out God’s will.
I believe in the Holy Spirit
Every one of Jesus’ followers receives a Spirit baptism (Acts 2:38-39; Acts 19:2; Romans 8:9). Without the Jesus Spirit, you cannot be a member of Christ. We must be clear about this and avoid allowing any false teaching to hinder our lives as Christians by leading us to believe that only individuals who exhibit what is known as the sign of the gift of languages have been baptized with the Holy Spirit (D’Addesi, 2021). All who repent and believe the gospel are baptized with the Spirit of the Lord Jesus. By doing this, he adopts us as his own—true participants in his new covenant people.
If we are followers of Jesus, then we are people to whom God has given a new spirit and heart that prompts us to uphold his law (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Jeremiah. 31:33-34). The work of the spirit is seen in our response to the gospel and our developing knowledge of Christian doctrine: the spirit convicts us of the truth of the word that has been revealed to us by the spirit (2 Peter 1:21) and teaches us to confess Christ as Lord as a result. Our hearts are made alive by the spirit so that they can respond to the word (1 Corinthians 2:14-16). Without the work of the spirit, no one can make the foundational Christian confession that “Jesus is Lord” (Rom 10:9-12; 1 Corinthians12:3). As “members of his household, founded on the foundation of the [very] earliest apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the major cornerstone,” all of “God’s people” are (Eph 2:19-20). Additionally, “by him, too, you too are being built together to become a house where God dwells by his Spirit” (Eph 2:22, my emphasis). We are urged to imitate Christ and be molded by his person, death, and Resurrection. Leaders are expected to serve and give themselves to Christ, without bias or selfish ambition, according to their own teachings and example. As a bishop, it means taking part in what Christ is doing, which includes rescuing, redeeming, loving, and guiding each individual as well as the neighborhood. It is a collaborative ministry between the clergy and laypeople.
Leading from a Christian Worldview
Answering philosophical dilemmas is only one aspect of having a Christian worldview. Additionally, it entails living according to biblical values in your personal and professional life. The great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, once said that to get the Lord’s blessing, the work of the Lord must be carried out by His will. In what we preach and how we preach, we must convey the truth (D’Addesi, 2021). A Christian organization may be carrying out the Lord’s work. Still, if it does so with human zeal and willpower, employs sophisticated strategies for publicity and promotion, and lacks open displays of love among its members, it is merely another example of human achievement and contributes little to the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
Many Christians acknowledge the profundity of the Scriptures but base their practical, day-to-day choices solely on what they can perceive, hear, measure, and compute (Revington, 2018). They may want to serve the Lord, but they approach their work sophisticatedly, employing techniques, and driven by sophisticated ambitions for fame and fortune.
Paul tackles the issue in the book of Galatians: “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” The Bible refers to this as living in the “flesh” rather than in the spirit. (Gal. 3:3) (Revington, 2018). Many Christians portray becoming a Christian as a matter of faith while continuing to be a Christian due to their motivation and willpower. They aim to “perfect the flesh,” which they are doing. Working in this manner, they may very well achieve remarkable outcomes.
Churches and ministries may garner media attention, host lavish conferences, draw sizable crowds, raise significant amounts of money, publish books and magazines, and exert political influence (Kozushko, 2018). However, if that effort is carried out in the flesh, it will have little impact on expanding God’s kingdom, regardless of how successful it may seem. When the Lord’s work is carried out solely with human intelligence, and according to human means, it is no longer the Lord’s work. The only way the Church can gain genuine credibility with unbelievers is by demonstrating something they cannot explain or recreate using their natural, prosaic methods—something they can only explain by mentioning the supernatural.
References
Allison, J. D., & Religion, O. S. L. (2019). On the Development of the Apostles’ Creed.
Clark, E. A. (2019). The Fathers Refounded: Protestant Liberalism, Roman Catholic Modernism, and the Teaching of Ancient Christianity in Early Twentieth-century America. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Cou MacArthur, J. (2019). The John MacArthur Handbook of Effective Biblical Leadership.
D’Addesi, V. (2021). The Threat of Communism to Judeo-Christian Tradition and How to Stop It.
Gamwell, L. (2020). Exploring the invisible: art, science, and the spiritual–revised and expanded edition. Princeton University Press.
Gunnarson, D. (2022). Fostering a Healthy Soul: Escaping Spiritual Disillusionment. Heritage
Hopkins, S. C. (2019). The Infernal Laboratory: Apocryphal Hermeneutics and Hell in the Medieval North Sea (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University).
Kozushko, P. A. (2018). The Role of Eyewitness Testimony, Orality, and Memory in the Development of the Gospel Tradition (Doctoral dissertation, Acadia University).
Lee, J. J. E. (2022). The Implications of Westerhoff’s Community of Faith-Enculturation Paradigm for Early Childhood and Weekday Preschool Education (Doctoral dissertation, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary).
Lott, J. A. (2020). The Intergenerational Worship Model: Youth-Specific Benefits.
Petkovic, G. (2021). Love thy body: answering hard questions about life and sexuality: by Nancy R.
Revington, R. (2018). Crisis on infinite texts: How Superman developed into a Jesus figure (Doctoral dissertation).
Journal for Christian Scholarship= Tydskrif vim Christelike Wetenskap, 57(3), 203-231.
Toom, T. (2022). Creed as Verbum Breviatum. Journal of European Baptist Studies, 22(01), 143–167.
Ward, R. S. (2019). God and Adam: Reformed theology and the creation covenant. Tulip Publishing.
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